Illa Smirnova is an outgoing, fifteen-year old sophomore at South Broward High. Smirnova was born in Moscow, Russia but moved to North Miami when she was only three years old and has a brother that she loves very much. Her favorite color is either green or purple and her favorite animal is a panther.

“I pretty much moved around Miami my whole life,” said Smirnova

Smirnova’s friends describe her as fun, outgoing, and humorous.

“She’s always the type of person to make you laugh when you are feeling down. She’s a really great person to talk to,” said her classmate, Norah Soria.

Smirnova’s favorite food is pasta and she loves listening to music. Her favorite artists are Destroy Lonely and Lucki and her favorite show is “Prison Break”. She also has many things she likes to do in her free time like going to the beach, hanging out with her friends, photography, and running cross country.

“I like cross country because every time I run, it helps my brain relax. It’s like taking a break,” said Smirnova.

Smirnova also has her fair share of embarrassing moments.

“I think my most embarrassing moment was probably when I fell down the stairs on the second day of school. It didn’t hurt but it was still pretty embarrassing,” said Smirnova.

Smirnova plans on having fun, enjoying her teenage years and seeing where life takes her. She does not have a clear idea of what she wants to do once she graduates but she is thinking about studying engineering.

“If I could give any advise I would say to not think something is cool just because everyone else is doing it,” said Smirnova.